NASCAR Cup Series driver Danica Patrick with her boyfriend Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers prior to the start of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February. John David Mercer, John David Mercer-USA TODAY Spor

Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick visited Lusaka, Zambia, in Africa as part of a missionin Aprilwith the Starkey Hearing Foundation to help fit people with hearing aids. Courtesy of Starkey Hearing Foundation

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was in Lusaka, Zambia, in southern Africa in April with girlfriend Danica Patrick as part of Starkey Hearing Foundation mission to help fit people there with hearing aids. Courtesy of Starkey Hearing Foundation

Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick helped fit people with hearing aids during a mission in April with the Starkey Hearing Foundation to Lusaka, Zambia, in southern Africa. Courtesy of Starkey Hearing Foundation

Green Bay Packers fans hear from quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the locker room, at postgame news conferences and on podcasts, but they don’t get a lot of deep-dive interviews into his life off the field.

In an exclusive interview with sportscaster Michele Tafoya for Artful Living magazine, Rodgers opens up about meeting the Dalai Lama, dating Danica Patrick, texting with Brett Favre and figuring out life in Green Bay. He also talks about the national anthem controversy, concussions and the night he was drafted.

Tafoya, who has known Rodgers since his rookie season with the Packers, sat down with him in August for what she calls “the most personal conversation I have ever shared with any athlete.”

1. Being recognized in public come with the territory, and he's cool with that. “... I know that when I go to the grocery store or FedEx or anywhere, I’m going to see people who recognize me. That’s just part of it. And a lot of the time, they are really fun, nice, sweet interactions. And when it’s a little awkward, it’s all right. You don’t worry about it. People are just trying to live their best lives along the way, and I’m not going to worry about any of that stuff."

2. He and Brett Favre are “text buddies.” Rodgers said the drama surrounding Favre’s departure from the Packers in 2008 and being caught in the middle was extremely tough on him. Their relationship these days is great. They're “text buddies,” and Rodgers went down to Mississippi to see him during the offseason. It was a chance to sit down and talk like old friends, he said.

3. He’s learned to be less private and open up more on social media. He doesn’t allow himself to get hung up on responses, positive or negative, to what he posts, he said. “You’re not scrolling through the comments. You’re just living your life. And every now and then, you just open the door a little to that. I’m not worried about what will happen, what the responses will be, what TMZ or random people will say. Just live life and don’t worry about the other stuff. It’s pretty freeing actually.”

4. Danica Patrick is “a laid-back and low-maintenance” travel partner, “a hell of a cook” and ... he loves her. “We’re just two people who enjoy being around each other and love each other. We’re really into each other," Rodgers said of dating the retired race car driver. He said they enjoy traveling together and that he’s getting her to come around to his love of history and visiting historical sites around the world. He also calls her “a hell of cook” and said her healthy eating has inspired him.

5. He thinks about his legacy a lot, especially in a city like Green Bay. “The Super Bowl trophy is the Vince Lombardi Trophy. We go to work on Lombardi Avenue every single day. Mike McCarthy has Mike McCarthy Way over here. Mike Holmgren Way, which is one of the most important streets in Ashwaubenon other than Oneida Street. You have the opportunity to go down in history in Green Bay and in this league if you do things the right way. To me, that’s what legacy is all about. It’s how will you be remembered as a player, as a teammate and as a member of this community.”

6. He doesn’t affiliate himself with any particular religion. “No, I just think I’m on a spiritual journey and that it’s personal. But we’re all in this thing together; that’s how I look at things. I don’t confine myself to one ideology or theology, because I think exclusivity defeats the purpose of spirituality.”

7. He calls Green Bay home. He has a house in San Diego and sometimes rents in Los Angeles, but when Tafoya asked him where home is, his answer? “Green Bay.”